Glossary · Term · language

Urdu

Urdu is an Indo-Aryan language closely related to Hindi, written in a Perso-Arabic script and rich in Persian and Arabic vocabulary. It developed in northern India from the interaction of local speech with the Persian of the ruling elites. Accounts of the Mughal Empire cite the development of Urdu, together with Indo-Persian traditions, as part of the empire's enduring linguistic and cultural legacy.

Urdu
Image: Syed Wamiq Ahmed Hashmi · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 10 profiles

Delhi SultanateImpactMughal EmpireImpactShirvanshah StateImpactBahmani SultanateImpactBijapur SultanateGovernance, ImpactHyderabad StateGovernance, Impact, SummaryArabicChangeIslamLegacyPersianGrammar, Speakers, ChangeSanskritChange

Mentioned in 3 state histories

Awadh StateHyderabad StateRampur State

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Urdu. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/urdu
MLA
“Urdu.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/urdu. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Urdu.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/urdu.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Urdu’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/urdu (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻